Optus new $50 SIM only with roaming

[PDog]

Found another way Optus can take your money…

On my final days in North America after several weeks free of spurious $5 daily roaming charges - until yesterday. This time I consciously activated it to make some calls. Received the text and email confirmation and my CC was charged $5. About 2 hrs later, another text and email combo and another $5 charged to my CC. WT….? I’m thinking surely the Optus system is smart enough to only charge you 24 hrs later if you continue to use roaming?

Note: actually, if you consume your 5GB data allowance under 24 hrs the system will charge you again for each 5 GB apparently. HOWEVER, I’d only made two calls and used about 50MB of data. So who knows what was going on….

Rang Optus thinking this would be straight forward, but did get a run around at first - as they tried to explain the bit about ongoing charges for each 5GB but they’d obviously failed to note the minimal data usage. Eventually they agreed to reverse the CC charge (although it looks like a “credit” on my Optus account). But no explanation for why this can happen….

I have one more OS trip this year and will hold out since it’s quite a cheap deal I have but I’ll probably look to ditch them before next years travels…

the same glitch happened to me recently, the first pass renewed in about 2 hours despite being well under the data usage, but it was fine after that (and each pass appeared to have a 24hr life, not based on AEST).

 

[serfty]

If I understand correctly the Telstra daily pass renews based on AEST, not a 24 hour time period. Any chance you accidentally crossed two days in AU despite only 2 hours passing in the US?

The additonal $5 seems more like a glitch. The $5 pass is immediately charged to your account's default method of payment and shouldn't be charged again until after both the 24hours are up (or the 5GB is used) and data/call roaming is used again.

I have used this 24 hour thing over a period of a few days to stretch the cost to less than $5 a day. e.g. Arrival at Roaming destination 7am, don't activate until after passing immigration/customs, say 9am. You have until 9am the next day - turn data off shortly before then (use Hotel Wifi?) and don't turn on until, say 1pm. Repeat this daily, grabbing a few more hours each time until you end up having Roaming off overnight and/or your departure will be within 24 hours.

 

[SYD]

The additonal $5 seems more like a glitch. The $5 pass is immediately charged to your account's default method of payment and shouldn't be charged again until after both the 24hours are up (or the 5GB is used) and data/call roaming is used.

I have used this 24 hour thing over a period of a few days to stretch the cost to less than $5 a day. e.g. Arrival at Roaming destination 7am, don't activate until after passing immigration/customs, say 9am. You have until 9am the next day - turn data off shortly before then and don't turn on until, say 1pm. Repeat this daily, grabbing a few more hours each time until you end up having Roaming off overnight and/or your departure will be within 24 hours.

Yeah, it’s just the random glitches that pi$$ us off…. SYD+1 used to be on Vodafone and never had this cough…

Post automatically merged: Oct 4, 2023

If I understand correctly the Telstra daily pass renews based on AEST, not a 24 hour time period. Any chance you accidentally crossed two days in AU despite only 2 hours passing in the US?

No, Optus (and Vodafone is 24 hrs). Telstra is a scam doing the AEST thing unless you’re really paying attention.

 

[AIRwin]

The QF app has a link to exclusive SIM only plans on the Optus website with a guaranteed share of 1 million points:

https://www.optus.com.au/qantas

 

[exceladdict]

The QF app has a link to exclusive SIM only plans on the Optus website with a guaranteed share of 1 million points:

https://www.optus.com.au/qantas

$79 plan with 20k points and 5gb of roaming actually looks okay, if they had data sharing id be more interested.

I wonder if the share of a million points might actually end up being quite large in this case.

 

[SYD]

The QF app has a link to exclusive SIM only plans on the Optus website with a guaranteed share of 1 million points:

https://www.optus.com.au/qantas

The $79 plan is basically our old $50 plan plus points…

I‘m now paying $29 pm for the equivalent of the $59 plan sans QFF points. If I was roaming 10d pm on the Optus $5 pd (and not using an eSIM), the $79 plan looks attractive if i squint. But not good enough.

 

[johnny_yh2000]

I think this the time that I should sign on this plan since the old $50 plan went down. Anyone has any experience with the most efficient and quickest way to port current Optus number out and sign on to this plan?

 

[SYD]

PSA for anyone still on a replacement Optus plan with automatic $5 daily roaming - be aware that if you go to a non Zone 1 country (ie $5 roaming not supported), you will have zero connectivity.

A PAYG / $10 roaming plan should still connect and allow you to send/receive txts / calls.

Found this out now in Uruguay! . If I’d released before leaving, I would have expedited my port to elsewhere. But TBH, I’ve not landed on a great alternative just yet!

 

[AIRwin]

just yes

Freudian slip? yes = Optus

 

[SYD]

Freudian slip? yes = Optus

Yes. Oops I did again…

Meanwhile, I think I’ll give a bog standard Vodafone plan with $5 pd roaming a whirl. Supplemented by data eSIMs.

There are other options but they have their warts also when you scratch the surface.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Meanwhile, I think I’ll give a bog standard Vodafone plan with $5 pd roaming a whirl. Supplemented by data eSIMs.

Sorry a little off-topic. I recently had the joy of discovering that UAE is not covered by the Vodafone $5 roaming and racked up the highest mobile bill I've ever had. My phone is not one supported by Vodafone for esim, but it does allow two different sim cards. Do you know if it's possible to get a "data only" esim to use as a 2nd sim ?

 

[SYD]

Sorry a little off-topic. I recently had the joy of discovering that UAE is not covered by the Vodafone $5 roaming and racked up the highest mobile bill I've ever had. My phone is not one supported by Vodafone for esim, but it does allow two different sim cards. Do you know if it's possible to get a "data only" esim to use as a 2nd sim ?

Yes! I’m surviving on Flexiroam and wifi.

Plenty of other options including Airalo. They usually have single country, regional and Global plans.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Yes! I’m surviving on Flexiroam and wifi.

Plenty of other options including Airalo. They usually have single country, regional and Global plans.

Thank you! I will investigate, whatever it's worth, it'll be certainly less than the 30mins of data I racked up on the Pay-as-you-go ...before switching it all off.

 

[SYD]

Thank you! I will investigate, whatever it's worth, it'll be certainly less than the 30mins of data I racked up on the Pay-as-you-go ...before switching it all off.

They’re quite cheap.

Lots of discussion here….

eSims, what is your experience.

I am interested in the concept of eSims but have no experience with them. The notion of running my local sim plus having an international sim for phone use while in USA and EU could be handy. What have members experience been? TIA

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au